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VERSION:2.0
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SUMMARY:CANCELLED (Covid-19 situation): "Understanding Cell-ECM Interactio
 n: from Elasticity to Viscoelasticity"
DTSTART:20200313T160000
DTEND:20200313T170000
DTSTAMP:20260510T025355Z
UID:7529b08a9aed39348563338fabe7bcc50384fd0f1f4e70e99bb4c83b
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Alberto Elosegui-Artola\, Ph.D.\, Harvard University\, Cambrid
 ge\, MA (USA)\nBIOENGINEERING SEMINAR\n\nAbstract:\nThe mechanical propert
 ies of the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate cellular processes during d
 evelopment\, cancer and wound healing. The vast majority of research effor
 ts in this field have focused on the ECM’s elasticity as a leading deter
 minant of cell and tissue behaviour. I have shown previously 1) the mechan
 ism by which integrins detect and adapt to the elasticity of the extracell
 ular matrix1\,2\, 2) the biophysical molecular mechanism by which cells se
 nse tissue elasticity and transduce it into downstream signaling3\, and 3)
  how force transmitted from the ECM to the nucleus is enough to translocat
 e transcriptional regulators to the nucleus by decreasing the mechanical r
 estriction of nuclear pores4. However\, the ECM is not merely elastic - it
  is both viscous and elastic. As a consequence\, biological tissues exhibi
 t a hybrid response to loading: a first instantaneous solid elastic respon
 se followed by a time-dependent liquid viscous behaviour. Due to its visco
 elastic nature\, the ECM response to mechanical loads is inherently dynami
 c and evolves with time\, independently of matrix degradation. Despite the
  universality of ECM viscoelasticity\, the extent to which viscoelasticity
  affects cell and tissue function is yet unknown. Here I will show my stud
 ies on differential cellular behaviour in viscoelastic and elastic ECMs in
  very different contexts. First\, I will reveal the biophysical and molecu
 lar mechanisms that regulate the response of breast epithelial cells in 3D
  viscoelastic materials in the context of cancer. Then I will expand this 
 knowledge to the development of intestinal organoids. I will finally give 
 an overview on how pushing the frontiers of mechanobiology in the realm of
  viscoelastic materials may have profound implications in many biological 
 fields\, ranging from morphogenesis to cancer\, and applied fields such as
  tissue engineering and biomaterials design.\n\nReferences:\n\n	Elosegui-A
 rtola et al. Rigidity sensing and adaptation through regulation of integri
 n types. Nature materials (2014).\n	Elosegui-Artola et al. Control of mech
 anotransduction by molecular clutch dynamics. Trends in Cell Biology (2018
 ).\n	Elosegui-Artola et al. Mechanical regulation of a molecular clutch de
 fines force transmission and transduction in response to matrix rigidity. 
 Nature cell biology (2016).\n	Elosegui-Artola et al. Force triggers YAP nu
 clear entry by regulating transport across nuclear pores. Cell (2017)\n\n\
 nZoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/111868255\n\nIM
 PORTANT NOTICE: this seminar can be followed via Zoom web-streaming only (
 link above)\, due to restrictions resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 situ
 ation.\n 
LOCATION:via Zoom web-streaming only\, due to Covid-19 situation https://e
 pfl.zoom.us/j/111868255
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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